


brick and mortar between my bones

by kunstvogel



Category: Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Latino Jason Todd, M/M, Non-graphic injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27180619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunstvogel/pseuds/kunstvogel
Summary: Roy gets caught under debris after a mission goes awry.
Relationships: Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Comments: 4
Kudos: 86





	brick and mortar between my bones

**Author's Note:**

> Written on a whim after rewatching Into the Spider-Verse. There sure were a lot of people getting bodily crushed in that movie. This isn't my best work, but I wanted to get the idea out on paper, so to speak. I hope you like it anyway! Comments are always appreciated.
> 
> Title taken from the song [Ribs](https://youtu.be/p5c6oV08lyc) by The Crane Wives.

"Arsenal!" Jason calls, and Roy blinks into woozy consciousness. "Where are you? Talk to me!"

Roy tries to speak, but a choked groan is all he manages as he suddenly becomes aware of the weight on top of him, forcing the air out of his lungs and crushing his hips painfully into the ground. Roy lies his hands flat on the cement and tries to push up, testing the weight on his back. It's a bad idea. Agony washes through his torso and a weak cry tears out of him—he can't even scream at full volume, it hurts so bad—and tears spill over, blurring his vision.

"Arsenal!" Jason's voice again, closer this time, and Roy moans, trying to form words.

"H-here," he manages weakly. "Under...something b-big." He can't twist to look at it, and he doesn't remember anything but a flash of white before everything went black. An explosion, his mind supplies helpfully. Something that'd caught them both by surprise. A rare thing, that. Roy would be impressed if he wasn't in sheer fucking agony.

"Fuck," Jason's voice, above him now. "Hold on, buddy, I'll get you out." Boots fill Roy's vision as Jason squats in front of him, grabbing whatever's crushed him. Jason's no match for Roy in arm strength, but he gets enough leverage to relieve the pressure on Roy's back and legs—which he realizes vaguely have gone numb—and gives Roy just enough space to army crawl out from beneath it. As soon as he's freed Jason lets it drop down with a soft "oof," but Roy's too focused on breathing to think much of anything else about it.

"Jay," Roy wheezes. "It's...it's bad." He coughs, rolling onto his side weakly. He tastes iron as he coughs again, deeper this time, and watches blearily as he spits blood on the cement.

"Fuck." It's distorted by his helmet, but Roy can hear the panic in Jason's voice. "Hold on, Roy, we're getting out of here." Gloved hands slide gingerly under his hips and shoulders, and Jason tries to lift Roy as gently as he can. Still, the pull of gravity on his torso as he's lifted and the pressure of Jason's hand on his hips tears a ragged cry from Roy's throat. He turns his face against Jason's chest, sobbing breathlessly.

"I'm sorry," Jason rasps, his voice raw with fear and exhaustion. " _Lo siento,_ baby, just hang on."

Roy does exactly that, clinging to Jason's body armor with weak fingers as he fades in and out of consciousness. He feels cold, down to his bones, and he knows distantly that he's gone into shock. He can feel blood pooling in his lungs but he can't summon the strength to cough it up. A punctured lung, for sure, he thinks with clinical detachment. Definitely caused by one of the at least three broken ribs he can feel shifting in his chest.

Somewhere in his musings, Jason had brought him to—Roy's not really sure where, but he's being laid down on a bed in a white room that smells of disinfectant and he sees an aging woman above him, barking orders to others in the room—a moment later he feels Jason's hand squeezing his as a needle breaks his skin and he sobs, far too late to resist but fighting it anyway as the familiar wave of drug-induced warmth and comfort washes over him and pulls him finally, blessedly, into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Roy comes to again, it's to throbbing pain across every inch of his body. He groans, holding himself still. He feels a familiar cool hand on his brow and cracks open an eye to see Jason looking down at him, haggard and tired, but relieved.

"Hey," he greets softly, taking his hand away. "Thought you'd wake up soon. Leslie took you off the sedatives a while ago."

"Still hurts," Roy grunts, wincing as his voice cuts his throat like glass, and Jason's expression twists with guilt.

"Yeah...she said it's a bit early yet, but with your, uh, history, she was taking a chance giving it to you in the first place. I guess you're not supposed to be on any heavy duty painkillers at all, huh?"

"Nope," Roy answers. "How long?" He means to finish the sentence, but his throat closes up on him before he can. Jason understands, though. He always does.

"Two days," he answers. "She really wanted to keep you under for longer, but…" he trails off. "Anyway, uh, it's-it's pretty bad. You want some water?"

"Please."

Jason nods, leaving for a moment and returning quickly. He holds an ice chip to Roy's lips, and he rankles at that, but accepts it anyway, sucking on it and sighing at the trickle of cool water down his throat. Jason gives him a few more before he sits back, and Roy speaks up again, his throat hurting decidedly less now.

"How bad is it?"

Jason chuckles. "Well, you have five broken ribs, your left lung was punctured and collapsed, and you had internal bleeding from a, uh, ruptured spleen, I think. Your pelvis is fractured, too. I think it caught the brunt of the impact, when the roof came down on you."

Roy groans. "Everything hurts."

"I'll bet," Jason says sympathetically. "We almost lost you, a couple times." His face pinches, and Roy reaches out a hand. Jason takes it, and Roy squeezes softly.

"You look exhausted, _cariño_."

"Yeah," Jason huffs. "I was worried sick. I mean, you've always been so...small. Fragile. You could've died."

"You don't give me enough credit," Roy chuckles, then winces as it pulls on his ribs. "Ow."

"You shouldn't laugh," Jason chides gently.

"Yeah, no shit. Anyway, really—I've been through worse, Jaybird. I'm not as fragile as I look, or else I'd have been dead a long time ago. I'll be fine. In a month…or two?"

"Three," Jason says softly. "Leslie said you've got to stay off your feet for eight to twelve weeks, with your pelvis fractured."

"Ugh, I'm already bored."

An impish smirk curls Jason's lips. "I may have some ideas for keeping you...entertained."

Roy's eyes widen. "Doesn't that break doctor's orders?"

"Not if you lay still," Jason hums, and Roy grins.

"I fucking love you, babe."

"I love you too, _mi amor."_


End file.
